Chapter 179 Going Our Own Way
Fu Shenyuan glanced at Zhan Shuo again and asked in a cold, serious voice, "What, is there a problem?"
Zhan Shuo stiffened his neck, shook his head and said, "I can't handle this. I'm in charge of marketing, not design stuff. Mr. Fu, you're so capable, you'd definitely be better at negotiating than me, right? Why don't you make a sample for me to see first?"
Fu Shenyuan remained silent for a while, glanced at Zhan Shuo, and then gave a soft sneer, too lazy to bother with this idiot.
Fu Shenyuan gave Tan Shen a look, then stood up and walked out of the conference room.
Zhan Shuo was stunned, wondering what Fu Shenyuan meant by this.
Tan Shen walked over, nodded slightly, and said, "Manager Zhan, you should really think about what President Fu said. If you don't want to continue working here, I'll contact the HR department to issue you a resignation form right now."
After saying this, Tan Shen left, leaving Zhan Shuo standing there, so angry he was practically fuming.
As the new boss left the conference room, the many managers, having said what they needed to say while Zhan Shuo was away, all got up and left the conference room.
Sylvie stood up, grabbed her notebook, and was about to leave when Zhan Shuo called her back in a harsh voice.
"Sylvie! Wait a minute, did I say you could leave!" Zhan Shuo leaned back against his own back, looking utterly annoying.
Sylvie stopped, looked at Zhan Shuo, and said, "Manager Zhan, is there any work you need to assign? You should be contacting the designer right now, shouldn't you?"
Zhan Shuo laughed shamelessly: "I just said this isn't my responsibility. You're the manager of the fashion design department, this should be your job, right? You're not doing your job and you're pushing it onto me? If you can't do it, just quit so I can find someone more capable, instead of you occupying the position without doing anything."
Although Sylvie didn't quite understand what he was saying, she knew that Zhan Shuo definitely wouldn't say anything nice.
Sylvie had always been bullied by Zhan Shuo, mainly because Zhan Shuo was the most powerful person in the company. Now that Fu Shenyuan had arrived, she was no longer afraid of Zhan Shuo.
Sylvie said, "If I heard correctly, Mr. Fu just asked you to sign Ember back, not me. I have no obligation to do this job."
Sylvie turned and left, ignoring Zhan Shuo's expression.
Zhan Shuo was furious early in the morning, and he angrily threw things around in the conference room, scaring his secretary half to death. She kept advising Zhan Shuo not to do this, saying that it would be difficult to explain if President Fu saw it.
Zhan Shuo didn't want to worry about that anymore. He angrily left the conference room and said to his secretary, "Go contact that woman. We need to get her to sign the contract!"
The secretary immediately went to do it upon hearing this.
The secretary found Ember Studio's manager, Mr. Shen's, contact information, sent him an email, reiterated the intention to cooperate, and offered a contract that was open to their terms. Then she waited for a reply.
Shortly after, Manager Shen replied with an email, clearly rejecting their cooperation request and stating that he had no intention of cooperating with them again, thus ending the matter.
When the secretary reported to Zhan Shuo, Zhan Shuo was so angry that he almost smashed up the office. He then launched into a tirade of insults at Ember, which the secretary could barely bear to listen to.
The secretary comforted him, "Manager Zhan, if all else fails, we can contact other designers. Maybe President Fu will agree then."
Although the secretary said that, she understood Fu Shenyuan's attitude. If the person who was signed back was not suitable for Ember, then Zhan Shuo would definitely not be able to stay and would be kicked out.
Zhan Shuo roared, "Bring Sylvie here!"
The secretary, as instructed, escorted Sylvie from the fashion design department to Zhan Shuo's office. Sylvie clearly expressed her displeasure at him interrupting her work.
Zhan Shuo retorted without any politeness, "Go and get that woman back to me this week. If you can't, you can pack your bags and get out of here!"
Zhan Shuo became anxious, so he shifted the pressure onto Sylvie, even threatening her with her job.
Sylvie naturally refused to agree and argued with Zhan Shuo based on her reasoning.
Zhan Shuo's eyes narrowed, and he said in a very intimidating way, "You don't need to talk to me about this useless stuff. If you can't sign that woman, even if I leave, you can forget about working at this company! Do you understand?"
Sylvie wanted to say something more, but Zhan Shuo was of a higher rank than her, so she couldn't argue with him.
Sylvie returned to her office with a headache, opened her contacts, saw Ember's name, hesitated, and then made a call.
While Jiang Ranxing was looking at design drafts in his study at home, the phone rang, and he saw Sylvie's name.
She took it: "Hello, Sylvie, is there something you need?"
Sylvie hesitated for a moment, the words she wanted to say stuck in her throat. She glanced at the camera above her head, but in the end, she didn't say anything important. She said, "Ember, do you have time? How about we go out for a drink and talk?"
Jiang Ranxing checked the time and replied, "OK, you find a place, send me the location."
"Okay, I'll wait for you to come over."
Sylvie hung up the phone, found a relatively upscale bar, added Ember on WeChat, sent her the location, instructed her assistant, and left the company.
Jiang Ranxing also shut down his computer, left the study, changed into casual clothes in his bedroom, and went downstairs, where he happened to run into Wen Qingrang returning from outside.
Wen Qingrang asked her, "Where are you going?"
Jiang Ranxing said, "I made an appointment to meet with a fashion design manager I knew before. She's a woman, a nice person, so it should be safe."
Wen Qingrang nodded in agreement, but was still worried, so he said, "I'll go with you. I won't disturb your conversation. I just want to ensure your safety. I'll set up another table."
Jiang Ranxing thought about it and didn't say anything. Indeed, it was good to be cautious, since she wasn't that familiar with foreign countries and it would be safer to have someone by her side.
So Jiang Ranxing got into Wen Qingrang's car, and the two drove to the hotel that Sylvie had mentioned.
On the way, Jiang Ranxing briefly explained Sylvie's situation to Wen Qingrang. Wen Qingrang understood the regret in Jiang Ranxing's words and went along with Jiang Ranxing's wishes, saying, "If you really think she's not bad, you can try to poach her. Maybe SR is in need of this kind of professional talent. Sylvie didn't have much of a future working under that scumbag."
Jiang Ranxing felt that Wen Qingrang's words were exactly what she wanted to hear, so she nodded.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them arrived at the hotel. After parking the car, they went inside. Sylvie found a relatively quiet spot to sit. When she saw Jiang Ranxing come in, she stood up and waved. Jiang Ranxing smiled and walked over.
"Have you been waiting long?" Jiang Ranxing asked as he walked over.
Sylvie shook her head and saw that the man who had come with Jiang Ranxing earlier was already sitting at the bar in the middle of the bar. She glanced over there.
"Is this your boyfriend? Aren't you coming along?" Sylvie asked.
Jiang Ranxing smiled frankly, without mentioning her relationship with Wen Qingrang, and simply said, "We women don't include him in our conversations. He's fine on his own over there."
Sylvie laughed along and poured Jiang Ranxing a glass of wine. Jiang Ranxing waved his hand, indicating that he hadn't recovered yet and couldn't drink it, so he asked for a non-alcoholic drink instead. Sylvie then called the bartender over and ordered another drink.
Sylvie then explained her purpose for coming.
“Ember, you must have received Zhan Shuo’s second invitation, right? I guess you’ve already rejected him, otherwise he wouldn’t have come to challenge me in such a fit of anger. He wants me to talk to you, sign you, and even threaten me with the job. But he’s wrong. Even if I do lose that job later, I won’t come to you to cause trouble.”
Sylvie continued, "I'm talking to you today to warn you to be careful of people like Zhan Shuo, and also not to agree to sign with our company. With Zhan Shuo around, this company is terrible and not suitable for an excellent designer like you to develop here."
Sylvie gets a headache just thinking about James; he's such a terrible person that it makes it impossible for her to work properly.
Upon hearing Sylvie's words, Jiang Ranxing immediately understood what was going on. She stood up, sat down next to Sylvie, and took Sylvie's hand in hers.
"Thank you, Sylvie, thank you for telling me these things. I will. I also hate Zhan Shuo to the extreme and don't want to work with him anymore."
“But it’s really despicable of him to threaten you with your job,” Jiang Ranxing thought for a moment and then said, “How about this, are you interested in changing companies? I can introduce you to one.”
Sylvie hadn't thought about this yet. She looked into Jiang Ranxing's sincere eyes and asked, "Which company?"
Jiang Ranxing replied, "SR Fashion is also a company I'm planning to sign with."
Sylvie was a little surprised because she knew that SR wouldn't easily collaborate with outside designers, as there was no precedent for it. However, after looking at Jiang Ranxing, she felt that SR's decision would definitely not be regrettable. Jiang Ranxing was a rare and talented designer. Whoever could sign her would, without a doubt, be a leader in the industry in terms of reputation and income in the future.
Jiang Ranxing continued, "Sylvie, I don't think working under Zhan Shuo is a good long-term career path for you. Why don't you try somewhere else? My contract with SR hasn't been signed yet, and some terms are still negotiable. If you trust me, I'll tie you to me and negotiate with them together."
“But this is a burden for you,” Sylvie didn’t want Jiang Ranxing to bear this burden, as the other company would definitely lower the terms. “That’s not good, I can’t agree to you doing this.”
Jiang Ranxing said, "Okay, I know what you're thinking, but I really don't care about those things. I've earned enough money, and having more wouldn't really make a difference. I don't care."
Jiang Ranxing has always been easygoing about her daily life, especially when it comes to money. She believes that as long as she has enough, that's fine. If income and other things eventually become a burden or pressure, then life will lose many of the beautiful things that should be enjoyed.
"And I genuinely think you're a good person. We didn't talk much last time, and I wasn't entirely convinced of your abilities. But since you're willing to share these things with me today, it means you're a good person. I hope to be your friend and also work with you. Don't refuse."
Sylvie seemed to be saying something, but faced with Jiang Ranxing's sincere help, she slowly nodded and said, "Thank you for your help."
Jiang Ranxing continued to comfort her, saying, "Don't be so polite. I've learned about it later. You have quite a bit of influence in the local fashion scene. I'm just an outsider, and I'll have to rely on you. Please take care of me in the future."
Sylvie excitedly gave Jiang Ranxing a hug, and Jiang Ranxing responded with a smile.
As she hugged him, Jiang Ranxing glanced up and saw Wen Qingrang smiling at her from a distance. For a moment, she felt that she was really living a good life.
Although she still suffers from many physical discomforts and is left with many aftereffects of the car accident, it seems that God has been kind to her, allowing many people who genuinely care about her to appear in her life.
These were things she had never experienced before. Looking back over the past six years, she couldn't recall any particularly happy moments. After all, being forced into marriage with someone she didn't love meant there was no room for joy. It seemed that this was the first time she had truly felt happiness, happiness brought to her by the people around her.
Jiang Ranxing and Sylvie relaxed and started chatting about everyday topics while drinking.
Sylvie showed her photos of her daughter and son, and Jiang Ranxing praised the two beautiful mixed-race children in the photos for a long time.
“Come visit me sometime. I’ll have my husband cook; he’s pretty good at local cuisine. You should try it,” Sylvie said warmly.
Jiang Ranxing nodded and said, "Okay, we've been eating Chinese food at home all the time, and I haven't really tried the local cuisine yet."
Sylvie looked at Wen Qingrang, then at Jiang Ranxing, and asked, "Have you settled here? How long have you been married?"
Sylvie had already tacitly accepted that Wen Qingrang and Jiang Ranxing were a couple, so she asked this question, but unexpectedly Jiang Ranxing silently shook his head.
“We’re not married, we’re still friends,” Jiang Ranxing said.
Sylvie asked in surprise, "Am I seeing things? You two really look like a perfect match. I know that feeling. My husband and I are just like that."
“Really?” Jiang Ranxing picked up his glass and stirred it. “We haven’t officially become a couple yet, for the time being…”
Jiang Ranxing blushed slightly, feeling a little shy.
Sylvie, having been through it all, understood: "Alright, alright, you're still young, it's good for you to work things out a bit more, I'm not kidding you."
Jiang Ranxing looked up and smiled.
The two chatted for a while before preparing to leave. When Wen Qingrang saw them stand up, he put down his cup and came over.
When Sylvie saw someone approaching, she said, "I'll go pay the bill, wait for me."
Wen Qingrang stepped forward and said, "I've already bought everything, let's go."
Sylvie noticed that Wen Qingrang's eyes were constantly focused on Jiang Ranxing while he was speaking, and couldn't help but smile. She whispered something in Jiang Ranxing's ear, which made Jiang Ranxing's ears turn red.
“No, that’s not it,” Jiang Ranxing replied.
Sylvie knew she was usually good at judging people, and having teased Jiang Ranxing enough, she walked towards the exit with him, said goodbye, and drove away.
While driving, Wen Qingrang asked Jiang Ranxing what Sylvie had said that made her blush so much.
Jiang Ranxing thought for a moment, then remained silent.
What Sylvie just said to her was: I can see the look in his eyes. I think he likes you so much that he's completely smitten. Don't keep him waiting too long.
Jiang Ranxing naturally couldn't say such things to Wen Qingrang, but she couldn't help but turn her head to look at Wen Qingrang, wondering if he was really as Sylvie said. If that were the case, had she really made Wen Qingrang wait for too long?
Jiang Ranxing shook his head. If he couldn't figure it out, he might as well put it aside for now and bring it up again when the time was right.
After returning, Jiang Ranxing told Manager Shen in a video conference about signing with Sylvie and herself into SR. Manager Shen quickly contacted SR and was surprised by their swift response.
Manager Shen replied to Jiang Ranxing, "SR said there's no problem and they won't lower the contract terms. They'll finalize it as we discussed before. As for Manager Sylvie, they will have a dedicated person to discuss it with her one-on-one, and they will definitely offer her a salary no lower than the market rate."
Hearing this, Jiang Ranxing felt much better, but he also had some doubts. "SR is so easy to talk to. It seems like we don't have to put in any effort at all."
Manager Shen also said, "I had the same question, but the other party did offer very good terms and basically complied with all our requests. I guess it's because they recognize your abilities, so they didn't impose so many restrictions."
Jiang Ranxing thought for a moment and nodded. Ember did indeed have the ability to convince people, but she had just not taken it seriously.
So Jiang Ranxing didn't think too much about it and relayed the message to Sylvie.
After receiving the news, Sylvie thanked her profusely, and then began to handle her current work in preparation for leaving. People from SR also started contacting her to discuss compensation and other issues.
After making up her mind, Sylvie went directly to the HR manager of her current company and handed in her resignation letter. While waiting for a response, the HR manager unexpectedly asked her to go to the president's office, saying that the president wanted to see her.
Sylvie arrived at the president's office door, somewhat confused, and saw Tan Shen at the desk outside. She asked, "Assistant Tan, is President Fu looking for me?"
Tan Shen didn't say much, but reminded him, "Regarding your decision to stay or leave, President Fu has some other opinions."
Tan Shen walked over, knocked on the office door, and after receiving permission, pushed the door open for Sylvie: "Please come in."
Sylvie nodded and went inside. Fu Shenyuan was looking at documents at his desk. He casually closed the folder and pushed it aside, gesturing for Sylvie to sit opposite him: "President, you wanted to see me?"
"Hmm," Fu Shenyuan looked up at her, "The HR department said you're going to resign because of Zhan Shuo?"
Having come this far, Sylvie had nothing to hide: "There are his reasons, and there are other reasons as well. After considering all aspects, I feel that the company is not suitable for my development."
Fu Shenyuan has never done this kind of personnel work, and he speaks frankly and directly.
"I know he can't meet the conditions I gave Zhan Shuo to sign with Ember. I just wanted to use that to fire him. I know he put pressure on you. Don't worry, I have nothing to do with you. After he leaves, I will have someone improve your treatment."
"As for Ember, I hope you can take over this job, talk to her again, and sign her. I can support whatever you want to do."
Sylvie was slightly surprised after hearing this, not expecting Fu Shenyuan to have such a plan, because before, some people had wanted to touch Zhan Shuo, but in fact no one had ever really been able to touch him.
Judging from Fu Shenyuan's expression, Sylvie believed that he could really do it, but even so, she didn't want to stay here anymore. He and Ember had already made an agreement, and there was no reason for him to break it.
Sylvie declined, saying, "Thank you for your kind offer, President, but I'm afraid I can't do it. I've been in contact with Ember, and she's already preparing to sign with another company. I also intend to resign and go there, so I'm sorry."
Fu Shenyuan hadn't expected things to have developed this far: "Since we can't sign her, there's nothing we can do. But Sylvie, I hope you can stay. I'll give you the treatment you want, double what the other side offers."
Fu Shenyuan recognized Sylvie's abilities, and the fashion company desperately needed a stable and capable fashion leader. Sylvie was exactly that kind of person. Losing her wouldn't necessarily mean finding someone else who would be better, so it was better to have more leverage to keep her. Losing one meant losing another handsome man.
Sylvie valued promises highly, and once she had agreed to something, she couldn't go back on her word for other reasons, so she still wanted to refuse.
Fu Shenyuan stopped her, saying, "Don't rush. Think it over. We can talk about resigning later."
Fu Shenyuan was silent for a while before saying, "Or you could ask Ember to come out, and I'll meet with her so we can talk about this. Luckily, neither of you has made any moves yet, so there's still a chance."
Sylvie couldn't refuse any longer; to refuse again would be disrespectful to her boss. They could at least go through the motions of having a meal together to avoid any awkwardness if they met in the industry or business in the future.
“Okay, I’ll try contacting Ember and ask for her opinion,” Sylvie said.
Fu Shenyuan nodded and then let Sylvie leave.
After leaving the president's office, Sylvie let out a long sigh of relief, went downstairs to the stairwell, and made a phone call to Jiang Ranxing.
Jiang Ranxing responded quickly. Sylvie told Jiang Ranxing about her situation: "The president just called me. He doesn't really want me to leave. He said he wants to meet with you and talk some more. For the sake of the future, how about we have a meal together sometime? If you refuse again, things should be settled. It will also save us from making enemies later."
Sylvie was also worried that the new boss might hold a grudge after Ember kept embarrassing him, which would affect Ember's situation.
If a meal can resolve the issue, it's best to turn hostility into friendship.
Jiang Ranxing understood what Sylvie meant, thought for a moment, and said, "Alright, let's meet then. After we eat, I'll take you from there."
Having a meal is nothing special, and Jiang Ranxing doesn't really care about such things. She agreed because she wanted Sylvie's boss to release her so she could take Sylvie to SR.
Sylvie smiled and replied, "Okay, leave it to me. Wait for my news, and I'll arrange for you to meet."
Jiang Ranxing didn't take it too seriously, assuming it was just a normal business social occasion. She replied, "OK, I'll wait for your message."
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